


try to understand

by demonicneonfishy



Series: february angst-fest (febuwhump 2021) [20]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Betrayal, Booker | Sebastien le Livre-centric, During Canon, Gen, hey that is a tag, you know how it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29589678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonicneonfishy/pseuds/demonicneonfishy
Summary: Nicky would understand, surely. He was the one who always talked about doing good. They would be helping to save people. Isn’t that what they’re trying to do?
Series: february angst-fest (febuwhump 2021) [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2141784
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	try to understand

**Author's Note:**

> day 20 of febuwhump 2021  
> prompt: betrayal

Booker is the first to Marrakech. Joe and Nicky are due to arrive in two days, Andy the day after them. He checks the security in the hotel, makes sure everything is in order, and meets with Copley the morning after he arrives.

“Booker,” Copley says when he arrives. “It’s nice to see you again.”

Booker shakes his hand. “Likewise. Is everything set up?”

“Yes. And your team is coming?”

“In three days, yes. We’ll meet with you the day after. And if I’m there, you act like we haven’t met since last time, got it? The others cannot know what we’re doing.”

Copley looks slightly confused, but doesn’t ask. “If you wish. And if this works, you are going to help save a lot of lives.”

“It better,” Booker says, and tries to ignore his uncertainty.

* * *

Booker jolts awake and tries to forget the sensation of drowning, even as he hears Nile gasp awake from, presumably, the same dream.

“Just a bad dream,” she tells them. 

“Tell us,” Nicky says.

Booker lies back and listens to them explain about Quynh, who Booker had never known but whose absence he’d always felt, especially in those early years. He’d still never forgotten the look on Andy’s face when he’d first described the dreams, the pain and grief and guilt. 

After the second time, he’d stopped describing them, just so he didn’t have to see the pain on the others’ faces. He watches them now and wonders if that was a mercy. 

Maybe they’d started to believe Quynh had died, and now… Nicky stares straight ahead, seemingly lost in thought, and Joe looks like the memory is causing him physical pain. Booker’s almost glad Andy isn’t in the room.

“That is why we dread capture,” Nicky says softly. Not for the first time, Booker wonders if he’s made the wrong choice.

The original deal had just been him. But then Copley called, and told him one wasn’t enough. So he’d given them the location of the safehouse.

Now, listening to Joe and Nicky… part of him wants to call Copley and say  _ call it off _ , then get all of them the hell out of here, and maybe the others will go easy on him.

But Merrick was saving lives. Maybe he could use their gift to save even more. 

Nicky would understand, surely. He was the one who always talked about doing good. They would be helping to save people. Isn’t that what they’re trying to do?

Nicky would bring Joe around. And Andy… she wanted it to end as much as he did. Once he explained, they would understand.

Nile… He hadn’t planned for Nile. But there isn’t anything he can do, not now. He can only hope she too will understand, in time.

He hopes they all will.

**Author's Note:**

> this is very short. apologies. anyway, have some sad rat man angst  
> -  
> i'm demonicneonfishy on tumblr too if you wanna come say hi!! (or yell at me for the angst)


End file.
